It has been an amazing 2011, with opposition to the Pebble Mine continuing to grow and support of the Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve gaining ground. Recent polls (see below) have shown the majority of Alaskans support our healthy sustainable fishing communities and want our renewable resources to take precedent over foreign mining company interests.

Our greatest victory this year was the successful passage of the Lake and Peninsula "Save Our Salmon" initiative. We also expanded our strong presence with sportsmen outreach, youth engagement and activism, and continued outreach and education to our vibrant business groups across the state.

As we are in the middle of the holiday party season, we clearly celebrate the uniqueness that makes us Alaskans. We've already eaten more wild salmon, moose, caribou and halibut this month than most folks eat in their lifetime and it's not even the middle of December yet! It's important to all of us that we not only get to feed these resources to our friends and families at holiday gatherings, but that we can subsist off of them year round, that we can obtain a living based off of them and that we understand the importance of protecting those areas that make Alaska what it is.

From the board and staff of the Renewable Resources, we wish you health and happiness this Holiday Season and prosperity in the New Year. We value our strong member base and thank you for your support. We look forward to continuing to make strides together in 2012, may your tables be filled with wild Alaskan game and may it continue to be that way for our future generations.

All the best to you and yours, Anders, Melissa & Kate

Pepple Mine

The 'Save Our Salmon' Initiative passed in the Lake and Peninsula Borough by a narrow margin. The final count was 280 to 246. The initiative changes borough code to forbid the granting of permits for any big development, including a mine that would have a "significant adverse impact" on salmon streams. But, the battle over the Initiative is far from over.